Behind the Process: Recruiting Uncovered
Recruiting, at its simplest, is a process of elimination at the beginning and comparison at the end. In your job-hunting journey, if you understand the process and what motivates recruiters, you stand a better chance of surviving the process and landing jobs. In this article, MedZilla explores the ins and outs of the process and the differences between recruiters.
Marysville, WA (PRWEB) March 19, 2004 --When you're looking for a job, if you understand how recruiting works and what motivates recruiters, your understanding will help you to work within the system better and improve your chances of landing the job you want.
A key aspect of the process is recognizing the different motivators for both in-house recruiters and recruiting consultants, says Frank Heasley, PhD, President and CEO of MedZilla.com, a leading Internet recruitment and professional community that targets jobseekers and HR professionals in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and science. "Your understanding of those differences will allow you to better navigate through the different phases of recruiting - from the initial 'screening out' to securing the job and salary."
New technology, old profession
The job recruiting process really hasn't changed since the turn of the century, according to Ron Selewach, CEO of the Human Resource Management Center (HRMC), based in Tampa, Fla. Selewach, who worked for more than 40 years as an in-house and consulting HR professional, says what has changed is the communication vehicles and technology that recruiters use.
Labor was abundant at the turn of the century, he explains, and candidates would line up at the doors of employers. Overwhelmed, employers started using resumes and job applications as ways to find the best workers. Today, recruiters perform the same basic function of attracting, then whittling down the numbers of applicants who respond to a job ad.
Though Selewach does not agree with the concept, he says that, in reality, recruiting is "a weeding out process rather than a weeding in process."
Catch their eye
James L. Wright, a partner at Bridge Technical Solutions, a technical staffing company in East Greenwich, RI, says that it's often a matter of getting the attention of people who know nothing about the job, itself-a part of the recruiting process he calls the "catching their eye" phase.
You might think your job application and resume are going right to the decision-maker's desk. That's not the case, Wright says. Usually, there are a couple of layers of people who are qualifying candidates, and your application must pass through several screens and reviews before it gets to a department manager.
Recruiters might use computer software or administrative personnel to sift through resumes and look for specific words. The simple "qualification" process is not so much "for picking winners as it is [spotting people who are obvious no's," Wright says.
Your strategy for getting through the "catching their eye" phase is to incorporate the words that computers or office assistants might be looking for often and at the top of the resume or application.
Selewach adds that once a job has been advertised, the process becomes one of comparing candidates' credentials to one another - not of comparing a candidate's credentials against the requirements of the job. "If candidates understand that, they'll also understand why it's most productive to do their own networking [in addition to responding to advertised jobs," Selewach says.
Once youve "caught their eye", you must convince people who better understand the job that you are worth pursuing. Your goal, in this phase, will be to distinguish yourself by focusing on accomplishments - not duties. The recruiter's goal is to decide whether to pursue screening you in phone interviews, then in-person interviews.
In-house versus consultant recruiters
Your job search will be smoother if you realize that there are different types of recruiters.
Phil Preston, senior vice president, Comforce Corp., a $500 million public staffing and consulting company headquartered in Woodbury, NY, says that while both in-house and consulting recruiters succeed in their jobs by placing good candidates, they tend to be motivated by different things. Consulting recruiters (people who work outside the employers company) tend to be motivated by the commissions they receive for placing people in jobs; in-house recruiters are judged not only on their productivity but also on the quality of people they hire. Another difference: Third-party recruiters represent their own interests; in-house recruiters represent employers.
"From an in-house standpoint, recruiters are looking to screen out people to get to the best of the best. They're the ones who will ask the questions that don't seem to pertain [to the job to get a peek at who you are and how you handle things," Preston says. "Contract recruiters ... are going to throw you soft, easy stuff because they want to prepare you for the interview. They don't necessarily want to rule you out. This starts early in the process: the in-house tries to screen you out while the consultant will try to qualify you."
Preston says that consultant recruiters might be more than willing to pre-educate you about a job and company and you should consider taking advantage of the opportunity by asking questions.
Using the process to your advantage
According to Dr. Heasley, if you understand how and why recruiters operate the way they do, you will be better prepared for the hiring process. "They know to research the position and incorporate key words high up in the resume or application. They know that they should not necessarily talk too freely with an in-house recruiter because that person represents the employer. In other words, they avoid the pitfalls that unknowing candidate's fall right into," he says.
About MedZilla.com
Established in mid 1994, MedZilla is the original web site to serve career and hiring needs for professionals and employers in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, science and healthcare. MedZilla databases contain about 10,000 open positions, 13,000 resumes from candidates actively seeking new positions and 71,000 archived resumes.
Medzilla® is a Registered Trademark owned by Medzilla Inc. Copyright ©2004, MedZilla, Inc. Permission is granted to reproduce and distribute this text in its entirety, and if electronically, with a link to the URL www.medzilla.com. For permission to quote from or reproduce any portion of this message, please contact Michele Groutage, Director of Marketing and Development, MedZilla, Inc. Email: mgroutage@medzilla.com.
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Contact: Michele Groutage
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